Electronics >> Inductors
A basic inductor is a length of wire twisted into a coil. This shape will cause the current traveling through the coil to create an electromagnetic field. Any changes in the supplied current will alter the magnetic field created by the inductor.
[Inductor schematic symbol]
Higher current expands the magnetic field while a decrease in current will reduce the magnetic field.
Any change in an inductor's current causes a change in the coil's electromagnetic field, and alteration of the electromagnetic field creates an induced voltage across the coil. The induced voltage is in the opposite direction to the change in the inductor's current.
The amount of induced voltage is directly related to the rate of changes in the magnetic field of the coil.
The measure for a coil to induce voltage as a result of changes in its current and to its electromagnetic field is called inductance.
The unit for inductance is Henry and is represented by letter (H).
Definition of inductance unit (Henry):
The inductance of a coil is one Henry (when current passing through the coil, changing at the rate of one ampere per second induces one volt across the coil.)
The factors that affect the inductance:
- Core material of the inductor (e.g. Air, Iron, Ferrite)
- The number of turns of wire in the coil
- The length of the core
- Cross sectional area of the core
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